A seven-year-old girl was allegedly molested and killed by her 27-year-old maternal uncle in Kaila Bhatta area of Ghaziabad, reports PTI. The accused has been arrested.
Police said the disturbing incident transpired on a Friday night, and the minor’s body was found at around 2 AM on Saturday.
Police said that the deceased, a resident of Sahibabad, had visited her maternal grandparents in Kaila Bhatta, accompanied by her mother. She extended her stay for 15 days.
DCP (City) Nipun Agarwal told the news agency that a relative took her with him on the pretext of giving her some eatables on the terrace of the adjoining house and started touching her inappropriately. However, when she resisted, he covered her mouth.
As she felt unconscious, he had fled the spot.
A relative of the girl said that she had gone missing around 10.30 PM on Saturday and they started looking for her. Meanwhile, children residing in the area said that she was called by a relative who was residing in the adjacent house, where the suspect lived. When questioned, the accused attempted to evade it, reported Hindustan Times.
The relative, who is another maternal uncle of the relative, said that they continued their search and at around 2 PM, the girl was found in an unconscious state on the terrace of the second floor.
She was rushed to a private hospital where she was declared dead and police was informed.
Police later interrogated five suspects based on preliminary information. The accused, who was a suspect, admitted to the crime.
The accused is booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder, destruction of evidence, and molestation, along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
The autopsy results indicated that the girl died due to strangulation. Her throat bore deep injury marks, likely inflicted by the suspect’s nails, police said.